On Sunday, March 23, several college basketball teams celebrated the chance to advance to the second weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. For 16 teams, hope was still intact that they could win a national championship this season — as in the one that is currently going on.
The following day, the spring transfer portal window opened, allowing hundreds of players to look for new homes while coaching staffs search the landscape for new contributors.
For those 16 teams still playing, a choice about time and resource allocation was at hand. How much effort should they put into preparing for next weekend’s games?